Writing for the Web: Creating Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures, and Sound by Lynda Felder

Author:Lynda Felder
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780321794437
Publisher: New Riders
Published: 2011-10-27T04:24:54+00:00

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LOL

A student shared in class that his mother thought that LOL meant lots of love. The family’s beloved dog died, and the mother sent an email to close friends and family expressing the sad news about their pooch. Before she signed her name, she closed with LOL.

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Are Clichés OK?

If a phrase sounds familiar and if you’ve heard it many times, it’s a cliché. A few examples include:

• Accidents will happen

• At the end of the day

• As if!

• Best kept secret

• Burning question

• Easier said than done

• Leave no stone unturned

• Lion’s share

• Make ends meet

• Nipped in the bud

• Until the bitter end

Clichés are phrases that used to be novel and clever, such as the phrase the bleeding edge of technology that replaced the leading edge of technology. But very quickly, the novelty wears off, the phrase is overused, and the meaning becomes flat. Most critics advise writers to avoid clichés like the plague. They make your readers yawn and your work unimaginative and lazy.

For a different point of view, Randy Pausch wrote in The Last Lecture (Hyperion, 2008), “If at first you don’t succeed ... try try a cliché.” He loved clichés because what they so often express is right on the money. He also stated that teachers shouldn’t be afraid of clichés, because today’s students don’t know them. It’s a new world with a completely new audience.

Are Swear Words OK?

If you’re questioning whether or not it would be OK to use a particular swear word, it’s probably best not to. Think of the adage if you have to ask. The key to whether off-color words work for your Web content, again, depends on the type of content and the audience.

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